Vapor condenser and liquid radiator



Jan. 26-, 1943. N. c. PRICE 2,309,274

VAPOR CONDENSER AND LIQUID RADIATOR Filed April so, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 I/vl/E/v TOP phases of the invention relate to novel Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics VAPOR oonnnnsnr t fijiromn RADIATOR Nathan C. Price, Hollywood, Calif., assignor to San Francisco, Calif.

Sirius Corporation,

Original application November 20, 1940, Serial No.

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in vapor condenser and/or liquid radiators, and more particularly to a novel construction and arrangement for such apparatus, wherein air at atmospheric temperature is utilized as the means for absorbing and dissipating the heat.

methods for automatically controlling and stabilizing such apparatus.

Thi application is a division of my application of the same title, filed November 20, 1940, Serial Number 366,374, which became Patent No. 2,294,350, issued Aug. 25, 1942, and is directed to the construction and arrangement of the condenser and/or radiator shown and described therein.

It is, therefore, among the primary objects of this invention to provide a novel construction for vapor condensers and/ or radiators wherein air at atmospheric temperature is utilized as the cooling medium; to provide an described of unusual compactness and extreme capacity; to provide an efficient means for waste heat recovery and heating air; and many other objects and advantages as will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

In accordance with the invention, an apparatus is provided which may be adapted with very slight modifications to function either as a condenser for steam or other vapors or as a radiator for liquid cooled internal combustion engines. Furthermore, the invention is suited to assist in aircraft propulsion, or in lift augmentation by providing a novel and eflicient mean for pumping and adding heat to air for purposes of boundary layer control over an aerodynamic surface. many disadvantages normally associated with apparatus of this type and which have heretofore restricted the use thereof have been completely eliminated. This fact in conjunction with the many new advantages resulting therefrom will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the drawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a longitudinal section through a condenser constructed in accordance with my invention and showing also the general arrangement thereof with respect to the cooling fan and the steam turbine.

Figure II is an end view, taken from the left of Figure I, showing the annular end closure, condensate ducts, and control mechanism connections.

Figure III is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the condensate end of the condenser, more clearly showing the arrangement of fins, and the labyrinth construction of the condensate passages.

Other apparatus of the type The v Figure IV is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure I and illustrates in detail my preferred construction for the condenser tubes.

Referring to Figure I, the condenser core It is comprised of a plurality of flattened tubes ll circumferentially disposed with respect to a lonitudinal axis A-A, the axes of said tubes ll extending parallel to said axis AA, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced, transverse, annular, radiating fins I2 secured to said tubes i and circumferentially spacing same, said tubes H and fins l2 cooperating to form a substantially circular, central recess is. Disposed within said recess M are a plurality of conoidal diffusers i 5, the throats 15' of which are directed toward, and diametrically proportioned with respect to a propeller type fan It disposed in the end of said recess Hi. By this arrangement each dii'luser i5 draws oil a definite portion of the air of said recess 14 delivered by the fan It and distributes same along the core it. Another advantage is that it permits the use of a very small fan operating at extremely high speeds.

and prevents recirculation of the air within the recess Hi. The diffusers l5 also serve as turning vanes and direct the air radially outward between the fins 12. It will be noticed that several of the fins 12 between adjacent diffuser cones l5 are provided with curled edges 4 l which protrude into the recess I4 and further assist in guiding and directing the air over the condenser tubes H. The innermost of the conoidal diffusers I5 serves as a guide for the rod is which controls the pitch of the fan blades 19 and also as a support for the fan pitch control mechanism as will be hereinafter described.

7 Further describing the fiow of cooling air through the condenser core Iii it is to be understood that the viscosity of air increases with the temperature. Accordingly the portion of the core to nearest the fan It tends to have a greater pressure drop between the fins 12 due to the higher temperature. The conoidal difiusers i5 receive the air from the fan It and distribute it along the core l i] so that the air which receives the greatest energy from said fan 88 is directed to the portion of the core i!) which has greatest air flow resistance, while the portion of the air emanating from the region nearest the center of the fan it is directed to the portion of the core ii! having the least air flow resistance. Accordingly, air is drawn by each diffuser It in proportion to the pressure drop to be overcome. This arrangement promotes high fan efiiciency and eliminates circulatory flow Within the recess M.

The fan I6 is herein illustrated as being directly driven by a vapor turbine 20 enclosed Within a turbine casing 2|, the turbine shaft 43 being coaxial and substantially a continuation of the fan shaft 44. In operation the exhausted working vapor passes from the turbine casing 2| into a diffuser 22 which communicates with an annular collector chamber 23 disposed at the fan end of the core Ill. Since the ends 24 of the tubes H open into the annular chamber 23, the vapor upon entering said chamber 23 is uniformly distributed to each of said tubes II. This distribution is further improved by the action of the diffuser 22 in which the residual velocity of the vapor is converted into pressure which forces said vapor through the tubes H. The vapor in flowing along said tubes H is cooled until upon reaching the ends 25 thereof, remote to the fan IE, it is completely condensed. Annular ducts 26 and 21, disposed around the end of the core [0, collect the condensed vapor, hereinafter referred to as condensate, and conduct same to the condenser outlet 28.

In my preferred construction, the inner surfaces of the condenser tubes H is extended by means of transverse strips 29 increasing in number toward the condensate ends thereof as is particularly illustrated in Figures III and IV. Such construction maintains a more uniform pressure drop within said tubes I and increases the preliminary heat transfer. Near the condensate ends of the tubes ll these transverse strips 29 direct the vapor and condensate in counter flow to the cooling air, as indicated by the dashed arrow 30 (see Figure III), in order to facilitate cooling below the saturation .temperature. Referring again to Figure IV, uniform longitudinal spacing of the fins H is obtained by providing a plurality of shallow dimples 13.

In the normal anticipated installation, considerable auxiliary apparatus, such as electric generators, superchargers and the like, may be driven by the turbine 20. Due to the variations in the operating power required by such apparatus, the desirability of having a wide range in condenser capacity will be readily appreciated. Accordingly,-in the embodiment illustrated in my original application, I have incorporated a novel method and apparatus for automatically varying the condenser capacity in accordance with the condensing requirements imposed thereon. This control apparatus consists primarily of a fan l6 in which the blades H! are variable in pitch, and of a mechanism for automatically varying the pitch of said blades Is in response to the thermal conditions within the condenser 10.

The mechanism for varying the pitch of the fan blades is is incorporated in a cylinder 32. Conduits 3'5 and 3i extending from said cylinder 32 to a small venturi 38 disposed in the condenser outlet 28 transmit the differential pressure existing between the inlet 39 and throat 40 of the Venturi 3'! to said cylinder 32. Under normal operation the pitch of the fan blades l9 remains relatively flat until vapor appears in the Venturi throat 40 at which time the higher pressures due to said vapor cause the blade pitch to be increased abruptly and the control apparatus becomes very sensitive. Thus the condensate is cooled just below the saturation temperature and the power absorbed by the fan [6 is maintained at a minimum.

The variable pitch fan blade control mechanism is described in my original application, and

is intended to increase the pitch of the fan blades upon the appearance of vapor at the throat of the Venturi, thus increasing the air flow through the condenser in proportion to the vapor supply reaching the condenser and the temperature of the air flowing therethrough.

Having fully described the invention in its present preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many modifications and substitutions may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Heat exchange apparatus comprising, a plurality of tubes circumferentially disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis and extending substantially parallel with said axis; means securing said tubes together to form a cylindrical core surrounding a central axial recess; a plurality of conoidal diffusers of different lengths and different throat entrance diameters disposed in said central recess, said conoidal diffusers being arranged in nested relation with their respective throat ends in concentric, substantially close proximity to one end of said central recess, the opposite ends of said conoidal diffusers curving outward toward said tubes to direct air outwardly over said tubes; and means adjacent said one end of said central recess for introducing air into said central recess for distribution by said conoidal diffusers.

2. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the throat ends of the conoidal diffusers terminate at unequally spaced points from the air inlet of the central recess, the spacing between the'ends of adjacent diffusers increasing progressively from the outer to the inner diffusers.

3. Heat exchange apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which a diffuser member is provided to form a closure for the central recess at the end thereof opposite the air inlet end of said central recess.

4. Heat exchange apparatus comprising, a plurality of tubes circumferentially disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis and extending substantially parallel to said axis; a series of spaced transversely disposed annular fins thermally bonded to said tubes and extending along substantially the full length of said tubes, said tubes and annular fins cooperating to form a cylindrical core surrounding a central axial recess, a plurality of conoidal diffusers of different lengths and different throat entrance diameters disposed in said central recess, said conoidal diffusers being arranged in nested relation with their throat ends in substantially close proximity to one end of said central recess but terminating at unequally spaced points from said one end of said central recess, the conoidal diffuser having the largest throat entrance being nearest to said one end of said recess, the opposite ends of said conoidal diifusers curving outward toward said fins and terminating along said cylindrical core at unequally spaced points .to direct air outwardly over said tubes and fins,

the conoidal diffuser of greatest length having the smallest throat entrance diameter; and means adjacent said one end of said central recess for introducing air into said central recess for distribution by said conoidal diffusers, said annular fins having their inner edge curved toward the air inlet end of said central recess.

NATHAN C. PRICE. 

